Crime Blog

The year of officer-involved shootings so far in Dallas

A few images from this year's Dallas police shootings (Dallas Morning News photos)

In less than 24 hours, two men have been shot and killed by Dallas police officers.

One of them, for the first time this year, was deemed to be unarmed. But even so, Dallas police say he charged at the officer, and that they have the video to prove it.

After several controversial Dallas police shootings in 2013 — two of which led to officers being fired and indicted — the year has been relatively quiet, save for one or two shootings that have public detractors.

Here is a look at this year’s police shootings so far, other than the latest two. (I believe this is a complete list. Feel free to correct me if I’m missing something and I’ll update accordingly).

July 10: Police say a man opened fire unprovoked on two officers during a routine traffic stop. The officers returned fire. Nobody was injured, but several of the shots disabled the officers’ squad car. Eventually, police tracked down and arrested Everardo Trevino and charged him with two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant.

June 26: Police say they responded to a shots-fired call when they saw Rodney Hodge, 33, walking around an East Oak Cliff neighborhood with a gun in hand. Hodge didn’t respond to any officers’ commands and pleas, police said. At one point, Hodge pointed the gun at people sitting on their porch. After about an hour-long standoff, Hodge apparently kept walking toward officers, who opened fire. Police say they have dash-cam footage of the incident.

June 14: Two officers shoot Jason Harrison, a 38-year-old mentally ill man. They said Harrison charged at them with a screwdriver. Deputy Chief Gil Garza said the altercation was “very, very, very brief” and that the officers were protecting themselves. While protesters have decried the shooting, police officials say an officer’s body-worn camera supported the officers’ account.

Feb. 19: A plainclothes undercover officer shoots and injures Rene Hernandez, 39. Police say Hernandez and another man got in an argument with the officer, and that Hernandez pulled a gun and pointed it at the officer. The officer was uninjured. Hernandez had been on parole for murder and has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Feb. 15: Officer Joshua Burns and Rakeem Perkins, 20, are both shot and wounded in an exchange of gunfire. Police say Perkins suddenly opened fire on Burns and his partner while they were responding to a disturbance call. One of the officers hit Perkins in the leg while he was fleeing. Perkins later turned himself in and has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant.

Jan. 2: Dallas police officers shoot and kill Michael Schmidt, a civil lawyer, in the lobby of his Uptown condo tower after Schmidt suddenly opened fire on them. The bizarre incident occurred after Schmidt told a front desk worker to call police because he said his apartment had been broken into. Schmidt’s autopsy showed he had a cocktail of drugs, including cocaine, in his system at the time.

Top Picks

Comments

To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.

ArchivesAbout this blog

About this Blog

Criminal justice reporters, editors and invited guests provide news and analysis impacting Dallas-area police, courts, fire and other public safety issues and entities. Readers are encouraged to join the conversation.